Poonawalla-owned iconic Raja Ravi Varma painting to be exhibited in Mumbai

Record-shattering artwork will be up for public viewing at AstaGuru's two-day exhibition this weekend

Ten days after it set a record as the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever sold at auction, and the highest-bid South Asian artwork, Raja Ravi Varma’s painting, Yashoda and Krishna, will be displayed for public viewing. 

 

The painting’s new owner, Serum Institute of India’s founder Cyrus S Poonawala, has offered the historic artwork to be exhibited at AstaGuru’s two-day exhibition, ShowKeen, on April 11 and 12 at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai. The exhibition is being positioned as a rare opportunity for the public to view the artwork outside the private collection.

 

The painting was recently acquired by Cyrus Poonawala and his son, the vaccine manufacturer’s CEO Adar Poonawalla, for Rs 167.2 crore, setting a new benchmark for modern Indian art. According to Cyrus Poonawalla, the painting is a national treasure and owning it is both an honour and a responsibility. According to a note by AstaGuru, Cyrus Poonawalla believes that given its historic importance, the painting deserves to be made available for public viewing, allowing a wider audience to experience its beauty and heritage.  Adar Poonawalla, incidentally, owns about a 20 per cent stake in AstaGuru.

 

The 1890s’ work, executed at the peak of Raja Ravi Varma’s career, is regarded as a defining example of his practice of merging classical Indian themes with the techniques of European academic painting. While his imagery is widely recognised through prints and reproductions, original canvases from his most productive years remain scarce and are seldom seen in public.

 

The artwork also holds significance as Varma is among India’s nine designated “national treasure” (Navratna) artists, a classification that prohibits his works from being exported.

 

“Presenting this work at the ShowKeen exhibition offers audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with one of the defining masterpieces of Indian art, and to experience the enduring impact of Ravi Varma’s vision,” said Manoj Mansukhani, director-Marketing of Mumbai-based auction house AstaGuru.

 

The display, AstaGuru said, offers viewers a chance to examine the nuances of the artist’s brushwork, colour and composition at close quarters.

 

Entry to the exhibition is free and open to the public.